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heavily in a leather armchair. ‘How?’ he asked in a low voice. ‘What was it? Some idiot run into him? Billy always walked home. Is that what happened?’
    â€˜No, Mr Grayson, it wasn’t an accident. Billy Travis was murdered a few hours after he left here.’
    â€˜Murdered?’ Grayson repeated. ‘Who the hell would want to murder Billy? Are you quite sure we’re talking about the same man? How?’
    â€˜I’m sorry, sir, but I’m not at liberty to give you any details at this point,’ Molly said. ‘You say Billy was a friend?’
    Grayson nodded slowly. ‘I just can’t believe it,’ he said. ‘I mean, Billy of all people? He was such a harmless little guy. Good photographer. Did some good work in black and white, especially. A traditionalist, that was Billy when it came to photography.’ He drew a deep breath and let it out again slowly. ‘So, what do you want to know?’
    â€˜Did he seem worried or agitated last night? Did he say anything that struck you as odd? Or did he say anything to suggest he might be meeting someone when he left here?’
    Grayson shook his head. ‘Billy’s more of a listener than a talker. I mean he will join in, especially when it’s something near and dear to his heart, but he doesn’t put himself forward or indulge in small talk, if you know what I mean. So all I can tell you is that he seemed perfectly normal when he left here.’
    â€˜You said he usually walks to and from these meetings. Do you know if anyone else was going his way last night?’
    â€˜No one was. All the others came by car. In fact, come to think of it, he’s the only one who lives in that direction, so he’d be walking alone. Not that he had far to go; just down to the end of the road to Dunmore Lane, then straight on from there. Ten minutes at the most.’
    Grayson gave Molly a list of names and addresses of those who had been at the meeting the night before, but said he doubted if they would be able to shed any more light on what had happened than he could. When Molly asked if Billy had been particularly friendly with any of the other members of the group, Grayson shook his head. ‘Billy was a real loner,’ he said. ‘In fact, I can’t think of anyone he was close to, other than his father, of course. He and George were very close. Billy lost his mum when he was a kid, so they only had each other. God!’ he exclaimed, ‘this is going to hit poor old George hard.’
    â€˜What about girlfriends?’ Molly probed, wondering if Grayson and others were aware of Billy’s relationship with Trudy Mason. But Grayson was once again shaking his head. ‘Never heard him speak of one,’ he said, ‘in fact some of the members of the club were convinced he was gay.’
    â€˜And what did you think, Mr Grayson?’
    Grayson snorted. ‘Billy was a loner, and he didn’t mix well with women, but I can assure you he wasn’t gay.’
    â€˜How can you be so sure?’
    Grayson’s lips twisted into a sardonic grin. ‘Let’s just say it takes one to know one,’ he said softly. ‘Or hadn’t you worked that out yet, Detective?’
    Molly checked for CCTV cameras as she drove back over the route Billy had probably taken the night before. She found one in Dunmore Lane. It was pointed at the doorway of the corner shop. But had it been on last night? More to the point, was it a real CCTV camera? Some of them were no more than dummies, mounted by the shopkeepers themselves in the hope that they would deter anyone who might be thinking of robbing their shop.
    Real or not, it wouldn’t make a scrap of difference to some of the hoodies who spent their time slouching around the streets, looking for an easy mark. Molly got out of the car and crossed her fingers as she entered the shop.

FOUR
Monday, 3 October
    P aget left the house earlier